Tote tray



April 3, 1956 J. EVANS 2,740,517

IN VEN TOR. /mw

April 3, 1956 .1. EVANS 2,740,517

TOTE TRAY Filed June 2, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENToR United States Patent TOTE TRAY Jack Evans, Des Plaines, lll., assignor rto Century Display Manufacturing Company, Inc., Chicago, lil., a corporation of Illinois Application June 2, 1955, Serial No. 512,676

6 Claims. (Cl. 20c-16) The present invention relates generally to a new and improved portable tool and parts-carrying tray of the type commonly referred to as a tote tray. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a new and improved tote tray of simple and inexpensive construction having end walls adapted to receive therethrough and support relatively large tools, some being of a length greater than that ofthe tray, such as a carpenters square and saw, the tray further being adapted to mount relatively small partscarrying trays of novel design and the end walls of the tote tray being further adapted for cradling relatively long objects such as crowbars, pipes and the like against displacement therefrom.

In the design of tote trays an eifort is made to form the trays from relatively light Weight material to facilitate the handling thereof as well as reduce the cost of manufacture. It is also considered to be desirable to design the tray to be capable of receiving numerous objects such as tools, parts and other miscellaneous and necessary elements. Requirements of light weight, simple construction as well `as compactness in design and use are considered necessary. It has been found, however, that it is difiicult to design a tote tray adapted for the carrying of a wide variety of tools, some of which are rather large and clumsy for storing purposes, and yet still impart to the tray the desirable aforementioned requisites. For example, much diiculty has been encountered in the designing of tote trays suitable for use in the carpenter trade. The tools used by the carpenter are of an extremely varied assortment not only in function and utility but also in shapes and sizes. It is ditiicult to provide suitable carrying means for saws, squares and crowbars which carrying means is also capable of receiving and storing additional tools and parts such as drills, planes, hammers, chisels, nails, screws, etc. Attempts have been made to design tote trays adapted for carrying such an assortment of elements but it has been found diiiicult to maintain the desirable features of low cost manufacture and light weight construction while at the same time restricting the tray to a desirable length.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved tote tray of simple, light weight construction and of a relatively short length which is adapted for carrying large and unwieldy tools such as saws, carpenter squares, croWbars, etc. while still further being adapted to carry and store miscellaneous parts and tools such as those used by carpenters.

Another object is to provide a new and improved tote tray of relatively short length having specially designed end walls adapted to receive therethrough relatively long flat tools such as saws and carpenter squares in such a manner as to conveniently store the tools while at the same time maintaining the tools readily accessible for use.

Still a further object is to provide a new and improved tote tray having specially designed end walls capable of conveniently receiving relatively long flat tools therethrough, the end walls being further provided with cradle portions for retaining long cylindrical objects in association with the tray thereby equipping the tote tray for many and varied uses not only in conjunction with the carpenters trade but also in conjunction with the practice of other trades such as plumbing in which a variety of tools and parts are also used.

An additional object in conjunction with the foregoing objects is to provide a tote tray of the type described having associated therewith specially designed parts and tool-carrying trays of the type adapted to be detachably received within 'the tote tray thereby further equipping the tote tray with means for receiving additional tools and parts in a highly convenient and eiiicient manner.

Other objects not specifically set forth will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention.

The tote tray of the present invention is formed from a simply constructed U-shaped body portion which consists of a bottom with integrally attached side walls. To each end .of this body portion is fixed an end wall of inverted 'T-shape design which includes an upstanding arm which in `turn carries one end of a handle. Each of the -side walls further contains a vertically extending slot which is surrounded by embossed portions which in turn position the slot in an angular relation with respect to the end wa'll and which further supply to the end wall added `strength thereby allowing the end wall to be made from relatively light weight, thin material. The slots are adapted to receive therethrough and position the main portions of long, ditiicult-to-store tools, such as saws and carpenters squares, within the tray while maintaining the outwardly extending portions in a iixed relation to the tray. Additional removable trays of varying design are also provided to the tote tray and further aid to position the relatively long, thin tools placed through the end walls into the main body portion of the tray. These removable trays are provided with arcuate ilanges which are mounted over the 'beaded top edges of the side walls in such a manner yas to allow the removable trays to be moved longitudinally of the main body portion. One of such removable trays is further provided with a downwardly extending substantially U-shaped bracket which is adapted to receive a portion of the relatively long, thin tools therethrough and further aid in positioning the tools within the main body portion of the tray. The end walls are still further provided with shoulders having upper concave surfaces adapted to cooperate with one another to form cradle portions for .receiving relatively long cylindrical objects and maintaining these objects in association `with the tote tray.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective of the tote tray of the `present invention having positioned therein removable trays which also form a part of the present invention and hav'- ing further illustrated therewith in dotted lines the positioning of a saw and carpenters square within the tray in conformance with the aforementioned objects;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the tote tray of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the tote tray of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the tote tray of Fig. l with the parts-carrying trays removed therefrom;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view along line 5 5 of Fig. l further illustrating in dotted lines the manner in which certain parts may be positioned in the tote tray;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view along line 6 6 of Fig. l;

Fig. 7 is a perspective of one of the removable trays of the present invention; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective of another type of removable tray suitable for use in the tote tray of the present invention.

The tote tray generally designated lil consists of a U- shaped body portion 1l which forms a bottom l2 having sides 13 extending upwardly therefrom and integrally therewith. The sides 13 extend upwardly from the bottom 12 and slightly outwardly away from one another. The upper ends of the sides 13 are folded inwardly and downwardly in the form of a bead 14 of O-shaped cross section. This feature can be clearly seen in Figs. and 6. The ends of the body portion 11 are enclosed by end Walls 15, each being of similar design and each being generally shaped in the form of an inverted T.

Referring in particular to the design of the end walls 15 it will be noted that each carries an inwardly directed flange 16 which is continuous about the entire periphery thereof. The ends of the body portion 11 are received by the end walls 15 within the confines of the flanges 16 and are suitably attached thereto. The horizontally extending shoulder portions of the T-shaped end walls 15 completely close off the ends of the body portion 11 while the vertically extending central portions receive at the upper ends thereof a handle means such as a bar or rod 17. The flange 16 is widened at 18 to provide greater support to the bar 17 when the bar is used to lift the tote tray 10. The ends of the bar 17 are suitably connected to the endmost portions of the upstanding central legs of the end walls 15 in any conventional manner. The horizontally extending shoulders of the T-shaped end walls 15, as well as the associated portion of the anges 16, are provided with concave cradle portions 18. The cradles 18 are arranged to dip sufficiently below the top surfaces of the beads 14 thereby providing to the tote tray 10 on either side of the vertical extension of the end walls 15 a groove into which relatively long objects can be positioned and retained against displacement. Such an object 19 is of cylindrical shape and is retained in the cradles 1S by reason of the upward projection on either sides thereof of the vertical leg of the end walls 15 and the beads 14 of the side walls 13. Upon normal use of the tote tray the cradles 1S are capable of maintaining an object such as 19 in sufficient association with the tray to allow the object to be moved with the tray without requiring any special handling thereof. It should be clear that the cradles 18 are capable of not only supporting cylindrical objects such as 19 but are also capable of retaining objects of any shape which are of suicient length to extend beyond both end walls of the tray 10. This feature has particular utility in the carrying of pipes, crowbars, and the like.

The end walls 15 are further provided with vertically extending slots 20 which are centrally positioned with respect to the vertical legs of the ends walls. The slots 20 are slanted with respect to the end walls 15 by reason of the embossed portions 21, 22, 23 and 24 which define the slots. The embossed portions 21--24 expand the end walls 15 increasingly outwardly in a downwardly direction thereby positioning the slots 20 in an angular relation to the vertical plane of the end walls 15 and further providing strength to the end walls 15 thereby allowing these walls to be formed from relatively light weight inexpensive materials. The function of the slots 20 will be subsequently described in connection with Fig. l.

Referring now to one form of removable tray suitable for use in the tote tray 10, Fig. 8 illustrates a tray 25 which consists of a central body portion having a bottom 26, sides 27 and end walls 28. The end walls 28 extend upwardly beyond the tops of the sides 27 and are folded outwardly to form arcuate lips 29. The curvature of the lips 29 correspond to the curvature of the top portion of the outer periphery of the bead 1.4 formed along the tops of the side walls 13 of the tote tray 10. ln this manner the tray may be placed within the tote tray 10 by resting the inner curvilinear surface of the lips 29 upon the top outer surface of the beads 14. The mounting of the tray 25 in the tote tray 10 is shown in Figs. l, 2 and 6. It can be seen in these figures that the tray 25 is adapted for sliding movement longitudinally of the tote tray body portion 11 and is furthermore readily inserted and removed therefrom, rl`l1e body portion of the tray 2S de- 4 lined by the bottom 26 and the sides 27 is adapted to receive any number of small tools or parts as desired.

An additional form of removable tray 30 is shown in Fig. 7. This tray also contains a body portion or tray section which is formed from a bottom 31, side walls 32 and end walls 33 and 34. End wall 34 extends upwardly above the upper edge of the walls 32 and 33 and has integrally formed therewith an arcuate lip or ange 35 of similar design as the lips or flanges 29 of the tray 25. Downwardly from the bottom 31 of the tray section extends a substantially U-shaped bracket 36. The bracket 36 is composed of vertical legs 37 and 38 which are integrally connected to a hat bottom portion or connecting section 39. A lateral extension of the leg 37 is suitably attached to the bottom surface of the bottom 31 of the tray section as shown in Fig. 5. The upper portion of the leg 33 is folded outwardly and downwardly upon itself to form a second U-shaped bracket'40. A leg 41 of the bracket 40 extends upwardly above the uppermost extension of the leg 38 and has formed at the top portion thereof an outwardly extending lip or flange 42 of arcuate shape. The lips or anges 35 and 42 are the functional equivalents of the lips 29 of the tray 25 and as can be seen in Figs. l, 2 and 5, when the tray is positioned within the tote tray 10, the inner concave surfaces of the lips 35 and 42 rest upon the upper convex surfaces of the beads 14 of the side walls 13. Similarly, as in the instance of the tray 25, the tray 30 is slidable longitudinally of the body portion 11 of the tote tray 10 and is furthermore readily inserted and easily removed therefrom.

Referring to Fig. l wherein a saw 43 and a carpenters square 44 are shown in dotted lines, the manner in which the tote tray 10 receives and carries relatively large tools of this nature will be described. The blade of the saw 43 is inserted through the slot 20 of one of the end walls 15 and is pushed into the interior of the body portion 11 of the tote tray 10 until the foremost end of the blade contacts the inner surface of the opposite end wall 15. That portion of the saw remaining outwardly of the first end wall 15 is lowered until oneedge thereof rests against the bottom of the slot 20 as shown in Fig. l. The width of the blade of the saw 43 may be such as to interfere with a continuous tray of the type shown in Fig. 8. Therefore, the tray 30 of Fig. 7 is inserted near the end wall 15 through which the saw 43 is inserted. The U-shaped bracket 36 is designed to receive portions of tools such as the saw 43 between the legs 36 and 38 thereby allowing space at the middle of the tray 30 for receiving the saw 43 within the body portion 11. In other words, the saw 43 resting on the bottom of the slot 20 extends past the end wall 33 of the tray section and in between the legs 37 and 38 of the bracket 36. The particular design of the tray 30 allows the saw to be inserted within the body portion 11 and readily withdrawn therefrom in an unhindered manner.

The square 44 is inserted in somewhat of a similar manner as described in connection with the saw 43. The long arm of the square 44 is first inserted through the slot 20 of the end wall 15 and as this arm exceeds in length the total length of the tote tray 10 it is necessary to pass the endmost portion thereof through the opposite slot 20 in the opposite end wall 15. Upon the passing of the endmost segment of the longest arm of the square 44 through the opposite slot 20 it is possible to pass the corner of the square through the rst slot 20 and lower the corner down into the body portion 11 of the tote tray 10. The final position of rest of the square 44 in the tote tray 10 is shown in Fig. 1. The corner of the square 44 rests against the bottom 12 and the longest arm of the square 44 rests against the top edge of one of the side walls 27 of the tray 25. The outermost ends of both arms of the square 44 are retained outwardly of the end walls 15 in the manner shown. As described in connection with the saw 43, the4 bracket 36 of the tray 30 allows a portion of the square 44 to pass past the end of the tray section intermediate the legs 37 and 38. In removing the square 44 it is necessary merely to lift the short arm of the square upwardly through the slot 20 until the long arm of the square is substantially parallel with the handle 17, following which it may be moved longitudinally with respect to the tote tray outwardly through the slot 2i).

As previously stated in connection with the tray 25, the tray section of the tray 30 is adapted for receiving small tools or other elements. The bracket 40 is further adapted to receive tools Within the body portion 11 of the tote tray 10. For example, as shown in Fig. 5 in dotted lines, a drill 45 is inserted in the U-shaped portion of the bracket 40 and may be carried thereby in the body portion 11 of the tote tray 10. The bottom leg 39 of the bracket 36 rests against the inner surface of the bottom 12 of the body portion 11 thereby supporting the associated brackets suiciently to retain the weight of a tool such as the drill 45. Not only does the provision of the bottom leg 39 impart strength to the bracket 40 but it can be further seen that with such a connecting leg the combined brackets 36 and 40 may be formed from one continuous strip of metal.

As is apparent from the foregoing description, the tote tray of the present invention is readily adapted for accommodating a variety of tools. The provisions of the slots and embossed portions in the end walls adapts the tray to receive unwieldy tools of a nature which are normally difcult to be stored in conventional tote trays. The embossed portions further supply to the end walls the degree of rigidity which enables the walls to be made from light weight, relatively thin materials. The body portion is adapted to receive highly useful trays of the type disclosed and can of course receive any number of such trays. The tray 30 of Fig. 7 is of particularly unique design in that it cooperates with the slots in the end walls to allow the insertion of unwieldy tools within the tote tray. The tray 38 further functions to support additional tools in a portion thereof as well as other numerous articles in still another portion thereof. Such a tray has a wide variety of uses and, as can be seen, is very readily fabricated on a low cost basis. The end walls are further designed by the provision of the cradles 18 to retain relatively long, thin elements in association with the tote tray 10. The positioning of such elements as crowbars or pipes, which may be cylindrical in cross section, in the cradles 18 allow such parts to be carried as a unit with the tray 10. The shape of the cradles 18 prevents such elements from rolling or sliding out of contact with the end walls 15.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the invention as hereinbefore set forth may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and therefore only such limitations should be imposed as are indicated in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A tote tray having a body portion and end walls, said end walls having horizontally extending shoulders with concave top surfaces, an upstanding central portion on each of said end walls, and vertical slots in said end walls to receive tools therethrough.

2. A tote tray having a body portion and end walls,

said end walls having horizontally extending shoulders with concave top surfaces, an opstanding central portion on each of said end walls, and embossed portions on each of said end walls dening therebetween a slot to receive tools therethrough.

3. A tote tray having a body portion with upstanding side walls, the top surfaces of said side walls formed into an arcuate bead, end walls on said body portion having horizontally extending shoulders with concave top surfaces, an upstanding central portion on each of said end walls, and embossed portions on each of said end walls defining therebetween a slot to receive tools therethrough.

4. A tote tray having a body portion with upstanding side walls, the top surfaces of said side Walls formed into an arcuate bead, end walls associated with said body portion having horizontally extending shoulders withconcave top surfaces, an upstanding central portion on each of said end walls, handle means extending between said central portions above said body portion, and embossed portions on each of said end walls defining therebetween a slot to receive tools therethrough.

5. A tote tray having a body portion with upstanding side walls, the top surfaces of said side walls formed into an arcuate bead, end walls associated with said body portion having horizontally extending shoulders with concave top surfaces, an upstanding central portion on each of said end walls, handle means extending between said central portions above said body portion, parts and toolcarrying means in said body portion, said means including a tray section, a rst substantially U-shaped bracket having one leg thereof attached to one end of said tray section, a second substantially U-shaped bracket having one leg thereof attached to the other leg of said tirst U-shaped bracket, and arcuate flanges attachedto the other end of said tray section and the other leg of said second U- shaped bracket, said arcuate flanges resting on the beads of opposite side walls, and embossed portions on each of said end walls defining therebetween a slot to receive tools therethrough.

6. A tote tray having a body portion with upstanding side walls, the top surfaces of said side walls formed into an arcuate bead, end walls associated with said body por tion and having horizontally extending shoulders with concave top surfaces, an upstanding central portion on each of said end walls, handle means extending between said central portions above said body portion, parts and tool-carrying means in said body portion, one of said means including a tray section, a first substantially U- shaped bracket having one leg thereof attached to one end of said tray section, a second substantially U-shaped bracket having one leg thereof integrally attached to the other leg of said first U-shaped bracket, and arcuate anges attached to the other end of said tray section and formed from the other leg of said second U-shaped bracket, said arcuate anges resting on the beads of opposite side walls, and embossed portions on each of said end walls defining therebetween a slot to receive tools therethrough, said slots extending centrally of said upstanding central portions, said embossed portions expanding said end walls increasingly outwardly in a downwardly direction.

No references cited. 

